Mercury-vapor apparatus.



j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSE'H C. POLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DCESNE ASSGNMENTS, TO COOPER HEWITT ELECTRIC CO., 0F HORS-KEN, NEVI JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MERCURY-VAPOR APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov.1s,1 913.

To m7] 'who/n. 'it may concern lie it known that l, Josemi C. POLE, a subject ot the Emperor ot JAustria-Hungary, and resident ot New York, county off `tion ortin` the process of handling. It is,

of course, well known that, such-apparatus usually consists of an exhausted vessel of glass or quartz with at leastone electrode oit' mercury. The danger of fracture in the hahdling and transportation of these lamps is naturally one that. should be guarded against, aud it is to be noted that the ybad effects of the shifting of the mercury usually appear at the seals of the apparatus, or at sharp bends in the tubes ot which the apparatus is formed or, generally, at the weakest points in the glass or quartz structure. The likelihood of fracture or disablement exists in a considerable degree with ordinary mercury vapor apparatus having platinum wires sealed into the glass containers, but this likelihood is greatly increased when quartz lamps operating with mercury vapor under high pressure are employed. In such cases, rods of an alloy having a certain co-etlieient of expansion are generally ground into the wall of the apparatus in such a manner as to form air-tight j 0in-ts, and it is found that these metal rodsmay, byshoclrot1 mercury7 be lifted tremtheir seats and that such dis-A placement, however slight, may be sutlicient to impair the vacuum. For these reasons it is important inlow pressure mercury vapor lamps and is especially important in quartz containers to provide means for protecting the endangered apparatus against the e'ects of shocks of mercury. For this purpose I provide small valves of glass or other suitable material which valves have a limited movement and are adapted to close oil the endangered sections of theapparatus when subjected to a sudden shock, so that the mercury is not permitted toenter the endangered part or that it can enter but very slowly and Without violence.

By way of illustration, I have shown in the accompanying drawings a design of a quartz lamp with `round joints equipped with valves as described. It willbe understood, however, that the valves may also serve a useful purpose in other types of mercury vapor apparatus wherein the containers are made of common glass.

In the drawings Figure 1- is a longitudinal section ot' a quartz lamp; Fig. Q is a cross section of a portion thereof lookingdownward; Figs. 3 and lare detail views ot one type of valve suited to the purpose of this invention, and Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a modification of said valve.

The luminous part ot the lamp is shown at l as a tube of zglass provided with a contraction, 2, leadingy to the negative electrode Qt at the negative end and an oil-set, 3, near the positive end, allowing for the collection of mercury at. 25 to form the electrode.

At fl is shown a laterally extending tube serving as a cooling chamber at the negative electrode, and at 5 appears the positive cooling chamber.

Leading;` respectively Jfrom the negative and the positive electrodes 24 and Q5 to the points of contact with the respective leading-in reds Q0 and 2l arc contracted portions, G and 7, within which are the respective valves, S and f), furnishing` the means for preventing;` the injurious eii'ects of shocks in apparatus of this class. These valves may be made of any suitable material such as ordinary glass or quartz glass, their 'function being' merely mechanical. The lground portions ot the glass tube are shown at 18 and 19, the former providing means ttor making an air-tight joint with the negative leading'- in rod, 20, and the latter providing similar.

means for the positive leading-in rod, 2l. Above the ground joints arebodies ot mercury, 26 and 27, to aid in securing` and mainaining` air-tight joints between the rods and the quartz tube.

The valve, 8, is shown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 3 and 4.. The valve there shown is oit conical .shape with a small hole, 27, in the bottom. Since the quarta is lighter than the mercury,- the valve will swim in the mercury, being` pressed in this way against small buttons, n1Q, 12 (see Fig. 3) in the wall of the tube, whereby the movement of the valve is limited ii extent. The lower conical part of' the valfe fits in a conical seat, 11, a shock caused by the movement of mercury in the direction indicated by the arrow tending to fracture the knee, 16, of the lamp will, before having done harm7 press the valve against this conical seat, and thus close off the endangered part of the lamp with the exception of the hole, 27, through which the mercury will be forced very slowly, thus filling gently the knee, 16.

A modified form of valve is shown at the right in Fig. 1, and on an enlarged scale in Figs. 5 and 6. Here the little swimming body has a cylindrical shape with a small iiange, 18, on the top and two small vertical channels, 28, 28, on the side. The mot-ion of the valve is again limited by buttons, 15, 15, in the wall of the vessel. By the movement of the mercury in the direction of the arrow the valve Will be thrown down and the fiange, being pressed against the iat seat, 14, will shut od' the endangered parts of the lamp, allowing the mercury to flow but very slowly through the channels 28, 28.

The hole, 27, in Fig. 3 and the channels, 28, 28, in Figs. 5 and G serve also to insure an uninterrupted contact over which the electric current can pass the valve.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a closed vessel having fragile walls, of a fluid in said vessel, and means for preventing shock by rea son of the shifting of the position of the Huid, such means consisting of a. conical valve in said vessel, a seat for said valve limiting its movement in one direction and a positive stop for the said valve limiting its movement in the opposite direction.

2. The combination with a closed con tainer having fragile walls, of a body of mercury in said container, and a valve having positive limits of movement in opposite directions in the path of the mercury.

3. The combination with an exhausted tube or container having a restricted portion, mercury within said tube and a valve permanently seated within said restriction and having a limit of motion away from its seat.

4. The ,combination with an exhausted tube or container having a restricted portion, mercury within said tube and a valve permanently seated within said restriction and havingA a limit of motion away from its seat, the valve being lighter than mercury.

5. The combination with an exhausted tube or container having a restricted portion, mercury within said tube and a valve permanently seated within said restriction and having a limit of motion away from its seat, the valve being lighter' than hmercury and being provided with an opening at its smaller end.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 24th day of January A. D. 1912.

JOSEPH C. POLE.

Witnesses:

Trios. I-l. BROWN, HAROLD B. VVooDwAnD. 

